Archives for September 2014

Everything I need to know I learned from the Dead Milkmen. As guitarist Joe Geraro (aka Joe Jack Talcum) once sang on the song, The Secret to Life, “The secret to life is no secret at all.”

Well, it has been sort of a secret, but I’m going to let you in on it right now. It’s all about setting up little milestones in your day to look forward to doing.

I’ve got four things I like to do on each work day to maintain my productivity and a sense of sanity.

Energy

I like a nice sit-down breakfast of eggs, home fries, bacon, and all of that good stuff, but I usually can only manage to make that happen on the weekends.

So, I settle for liquid energy to start most work days. It’s typically an Atkins shake and Diet Dr. Pepper or Rock Star sugar free energy drink. Later on, I mix in a banana here and a cheese stick there. Plus, lots more Diet Dr. Pepper and occasionally coffee.

Is this ideal? No, but I like it and it gets me going. So don’t go and send me a link on Facebook to some article about how bad artificial sweeteners are for me.

Exercise

I make it a point to start most days of the week with some exercise. I’ll typically run, hike, or cycle. But occasionally, when I am crushed for time, I will use the treadmill desk that I set up in my garage.

I get in no less than 30 minutes of exercise 5-6 days per week, and it really sets the tone for my day. I count on the exercise time to shake off stress and start my work day clean. Plus, when I am on the treadmill desk, I get work done.

Re-charging

In order to get the most out of my day, I need to step away and not work for periods of time. One of my favorite breaks is to take a nap in the late morning or early afternoon. I am ridiculously refreshed after I nap without an alarm, whether it’s 20 minutes or two hours.

Another out of the office thing I like to do is to meet friends or family for lunch. It can be a quick half hour or whatever.

Other days, when I am caught up and anxious for some sun, I’ll get out on a boat (with my iPhone to stay up on emergencies). All of these breaks help to reboot me, so I can start fresh into my work the next time I am at my desk.

Bonding

My schedule is crazy from time to time, but there is one constant on most any work day, and that’s sitting around the dinner table with my family.

I really value this time to catch up, decompress, and goof around with my wife and kids. When I’m camped in front of a computer for much of the day, this people time is so important, too.

The 28th issue of FeedFront is headed to the printer and copies will be going out to approximately 43,000 subscribers in early October.

Issue 27 of FeedFront will also be distributed at ShareASale ThinkTank in October and State of Search in November.

This issue of FeedFront Magazine includes 3 Business Benefits for Mediocre Athletes by Shawn Collins, I Received an FTC CID – Now What? by Rachel Hirsch, and Multi-Channel Affiliate Marketing Strategies You Shouldn’t Overlook by Missy Ward.

If you’re not familiar with the Meet Market, it is an extended session of structured, face to face networking on the Sunday of Affiliate Summit.

Affiliate programs and networks have tables set to meet with affiliates to discuss their offers and cut deals. Vendors that cater to affiliates and merchants will also have tables to share information about their products and services.

Each table is a meeting spot for teaching, learning, closing deals, creating partnerships and finding new opportunities.

Use Google hosted email. $50 or free per user…. how can you beat that?!?! Why screw with an exchange server!?!?

Up until this point, we weren’t using an Exchange server for Affiliate Summit, but we were all using Outlook, and it was a regular hassle with exploding .pst files and stuff.

So, after reading that from Jason, we moved to using what was Google Apps Email (I think) at the time. Now it’s G Suite.

Not only did it enable me to easily admin all of the email for the company, but with the huge storage capacity, nobody had to delete email to make space anymore. And no more days of lost productivity when .pst files were being repaired.

Plus, Google Apps for Business enables us to collaborate easily through Google Drive and Google Docs, and it’s really helpful to have the shared Calendars. I’d highly suggest making the move to any startup or growing company – it’s so worth the modest cost for the efficiency we’ve gotten out of it.

If you don’t see it right away, check your spam folder for an email with the subject, “[Vote for Affiliate Summit Sessions] Your username and password”.

Speakers for Affiliate Summit will be chosen based on the combined votes from the public, votes from the Affiliate Summit Advisory Board, votes from Affiliate Summit founders Missy Ward and Shawn Collins, and feedback received on past speakers.

The Wall Street Journal calls Chad Hymas “one of the 10 most inspirational people in the world!”

Chad inspires, motivates, and moves audiences, creating an experience that touches hearts for a lifetime. He is one of the youngest ever to receive the Council Of Peers Award For Excellence (CPAE) and to be inducted into the prestigious National Speaker Hall Of Fame.

In 2001, at the age of 27, Chad’s life changed in an instant when a 2,000-pound bale of hay shattered his neck leaving him a quadriplegic. But Chad’s dreams were not paralyzed that day – he became an example of what is possible.

Chad is a best selling author, president of his own Communications Company, Chad Hymas Communications, Inc., and is a recognized world-class wheelchair athlete. In 2003, Chad set a world record by wheeling his chair from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas (513 miles).

Chad’s speaking career in the areas of leadership, team building, customer service, and mastering change has brought him multiple honors. He is the past president of the National Speakers Association Utah chapter and a member of the exclusive elite Speakers Roundtable (one of twenty of the world’s top speakers).

As a member of the National Speakers Association, Chad travels as many as 300,000 miles a year captivating and entertaining audiences around the world. He has graced the stage of hundreds of professional and civic organizations including Wells Fargo, Blue Cross Blue Shield, AT&T, Rainbird, IHC, American Express, Prudential Life, Vast FX, and Merrill Lynch.